We’ve all been there — looking longingly at pictures of people outside during the summer and actually enjoying it while we’re inside sheltering from another Southeast Texas scorcher.
But the Beaumont Convention and Visitor’s Bureau thinks it might have a solution so residents and visitors alike can enjoy time outside even on some of the region’s warmest days.
The CVB is floating a proposal to bring bicycles, or “Beau Cycles” as they’ve been affectionately dubbed, to rent in Downtown Beaumont, joining the some 180 other programs in cities and towns across the nation.
While the City Council hasn’t officially approved the idea, it seems pretty safe to start getting ready to pedal.
“I love the idea,” said council members Audwin Samuel and Robin Mouton before adding other comments at a recent meeting where the council discussed the idea.
Mayor Becky Ames said she participated in a similar program when visiting San Antonio, and she enjoyed the experience.
The proposal calls for 24 bikes to start. However, Mouton has already asked the CVB to consider phasing in bikes at Tyrrell Park as well.
The first batch would be split into three groups of eight each to be parked at the Event Centre, Civic Center and at the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, said CVB Executive Director Dean Conwell.
It would cost $5 for the first four hours and an additional $3 for each hour after.
“You go to where the bikes are located, (download) the app, select your bike, put in your credit card information, sign the waiver and then you’re off,” Conwell explained to the council, adding riders can return their bike to any of the three docking stations across the city.
He later told The Enterprise that the program isn’t specifically intended to bring in revenue to the city or CVB. Instead, he said, it gives people another reason to go downtown and an easier way to get around once they’re there.
“Downtown is too large to walk the whole thing,” he said. “You could ride a bike to the port, not in the port, and look at the ships, get some coffee, head over to the Event Centre or one of the many museums downtown. You could have lunch at New York Pizza and Pasta or have a beer or two at Pour Brothers.”
He said this is particularly ideal amid the coronavirus pandemic, as it’s not particularly challenging to social distance while on an individual bike. However, each docking station also will have hand sanitizer to minimize any lingering risk.
The Beaumont City Council is expected to vote in January if it will dedicate $7,000 in funding to help get the program off the ground. The CVB is expecting to contribute the remaining nearly $28,000 and will cover maintenance of a few thousand dollars each year.
Conwell said, if the idea is approved without any problems, he wouldn’t be surprised to see the bikes available for riding as early as late spring or early summer.
While the company that makes the bikes is not local, he said the CVB already has started talking to local bike shops in an effort to keep local all money spent on maintenance.
kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com
twitter.com/KaitlinBain
December 21, 2020 at 04:18AM
https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Beaumont-looking-to-wheel-in-new-attraction-15817891.php
Beaumont looking to wheel in new attraction - Beaumont Enterprise
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